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Friday, November 30, 2007

My Mom and my youngest daughter are going on a trip to Paris on Sunday! They are so lucky. In keeping with their exciting trip, I thought I would visit France too - on the net!

I love people who "Find" stuff and then use it in an unexpected way! I came across the innovative work of designer Elise Fouin, who lives by chemist Lavoisier's Law

- Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed!

Elise transforms rolls of paper into the most amazing objects - Chairs, Tables, Light Fittings and Wall Panels. Who would have thought! If you can't get to France in person ...Go and look at her creativity here.

I am so delighted to hear that all my PIF parcels have arrived safely. Estelle let me know that she has a parcel slip in her box and will popping down to the Post Office first thing and then Jesse let me know that hers had arrived too!

How lovely to have a pic of it in it's new home! Go to Jezzeblog to find out more.

Thanks so much to all of you for letting me know. I am so happy that everything arrived safe and sound!

Part of the Fun of working hard to set up an Etsy shop - is taking photographs to document your work! We have not had much "Natural" Light around here lately due to it being our rainy season. So a few days ago I set up a make-shift photographic studio - Camera, tripod, white paper back drop, 3 bedside lamps, etc. And mostly what I got was .....

Mug Shots!! You know the type of thing. You look stunning in real life - but if you looked at your passport photo or your driver's licence you would never say so.

Well this Vintage Silk Scarf made up beautifully into a cushion. I was delighted! But would you buy a used car from this cushion??

Today looks like it is going to be bright and sunny - full of natural light - so it is back to the Drawing Board/ Camera Lens!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

I was really wanting to show you what I have been working on here - but I am unable to load any pictures onto blogger. I am not sure if this is just me - I even changed my geographic location and tried on a completely different computer in a different place. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by technological issues!Anyhow, this gives me a chance to post some pics I uploaded a while ago ...I decided to give my vintage tea pot a gorgeous "Bedhead" of mixed fern and ivy leaves! It looked green, lovely and stylishly unkempt for a long time!

Saturday, November 24, 2007

When the lightning strikes and the lights go out - we grab some torches, matches and candles and wait for the lights to come back on again. Not my youngest daughter - she sees a photo shoot option and grabs the camera!

Our modem was partially fried by the lightning that struck our house - and works intermittently - [like right now]. New Telkom modems arrive in Durban next week some time - hopefully. Maybe I should take Nunu Pepe's advice ..."Step away compelety for a bit go on an adventure take pics and tell us all about it!!!"

Friday, November 23, 2007

During the last couple of days, we have had a violent thunder storm - a couple of power cuts and we are left with an excrutiatingly slow internet connection. I am unable to upload pictures on blogger at the moment so will hopefully be back with some of the pretty stuff soon!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Having owned my own coffee shop for a while, I remained intrigued by good coffee shops that are out of the ordinary. I am a frequent visitor to the web sight of Proef - no ordinary coffee shop - this is a food design laboratory!

This was the Table set up for the Arnhem Fashion Bienniele. What a stylish way to eat off the floor! And I love the sign, written WITH chocolate! I hope to go there in person some time! Visit their blog here.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Jesse of Jezzeblog has just received a 'Be The Blog' award from Paperiaarre. Mark of MeAndMyDrum created this award for bloggers who "make it their own, stay with it, are interactive with their readers, and just plain have fun." I have always loved Jezzeblog. Jesse has a creative, talented and sharing heart and makes us all feel like we could also do what she does!

When I started my blog, her frequent comments were like gold to me [and still are] She is well deserving of this award.

So I was Deliciously Delighted when she passed this award on to me. Thanks Jesse. It made my day!

And I am going to pass it on to someone whose blog I have really grown to love - even though I am not a serious gardener! Heloise of My Imperfect Garden is a talented and humorous lady and I just love her perspective on life...

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Shweshwe is a traditional South African Fabric, which had it's origins in Germany.

The dyed fabric is patterned with its traditional white design by bleaching it with a weak acid solution and rolling it through etched copper rollers. Da Gama are the biggest producers in SA.

Shweshwe has had it's trend ups and downs, but I always remain intrigued with the simplicity and beauty of these traditional designs.

I found a beautiful vintage wool and silk embroidered jersey a while ago, and I decided to felt it and then make it up into a pair of cushions.I backed the cushions with a red and white shweshwe type print. Here they are in dappled shade together with their fairaisle friends from yesterday!

Monday, November 19, 2007

Food and Interior Stylist - Paul Lowe, posted his appealing "Tea Shoot" on his blog Sweet Paul. I had a good giggle when he admitted "Its amazing what you can do with a wool sweater from H&M and a hot glue gun!" Visit his inspirational blog!Another very worthwhile shot of inspiration comes from Danny Seo of Simply Green. He used a staple gun and some vintage jerseys to jazz up his dining room chairs.

And I cut up some vintage pure wool fairaisle jerseys to make up these cushions which will hopefully soon be available on my etsy shop.

Here they are on my bookshelf, underneath some other cushions, which I will tell you about tomorrow...!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

This week I am going to be telling you about some of the stuff I am getting ready for my etsy shop. Lesson learned - always double check that the labels are the right way up before you stitch and overlock them into place!!

Thursday, November 15, 2007

I love pattern - and pattern that is made up of chair shapes is especially pleasing.

I am intrigued by Julie Rabun's Chair Poster - with the delightfully simple, yet profound statement that - a chair is "a piece of furniture with a back, for one person to sit on" And Mini Moderns have a fun wallpaper called "Sitting Comfortably" It comes in a Colour-it-in-Yourself version.Strictly no colouring outside the lines!

I found this interesting vintage "chair" scarf a while ago and made it up into a unique cushion.

I would love to know more of the history of this scarf! I wonder who designed it?

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

I've been enjoying some interesting takes on classic chairs lately!Nathan Wierink of Zo has designed this classical chair with an air cushion.Jimmie Karlsson and Martin Nihlmar of Jimmie Martin transform classic furniture into amazing quirky works of art! When I saw this one... It reminded me my of my own chair which is still blue. Perhaps it is in need of a little JimmieMartin pick-up! Here it is piled up with some of the vintage books in my collection.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Saturday, November 10, 2007

A Great challenge has been doing the rounds. It is called the PIF or Pay-It-Forward Exchange. Thanks to Janine de Waal of Fourwalls Design, I have joined in!

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

Visit Buy Handmade and sign up to promise to buy handmade goodies this Christmas!

Friday, November 09, 2007

Thursday, November 08, 2007

It has been quite a week! We are doing our best to deal with the flooding of our garden. We have had lots of help...

...and a few rare and interesting visitors!

A Wooly Necked Stork...

And a pair of Egyptian GeeseThe bottom line is ... we still have a blocked storm water drain, we still have a smaller lake and more heavy rain is forecast. The cause of the blockage remains a mystery and is more than 100m from our home - but the City Engineers are working on it!

The GOOOOD news is that - as mysteriously as we lost our internet connection - today it returned. We have almost become personal friends with the Telephone Technician who was also puzzled by it's refusal to work! Great joy for us all when that little PPP light started flashing this afternoon and eventually stabilised! It is good to be back again!

Passionate about living the everyday artisanal life. Intrigued by ideas, how-tos, the creative process and seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary. Single-origin-coffee-drinking, Durban-dwelling, South African-born ENFP. Co-habitor with beloved family and piles of potential-filled recyclable paper